Carla Gallardo Puertas (born 9 February 1999) is a Spanish

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

. She finished 7th at the

2018 IAAF World U20 Championships The 2018 World U20 Championships in Athletics, also known as the World Junior Championships, was an international athletics competition for athletes qualifying as juniors (born no earlier than 1 January 1999) which was held at Tampere Stadium ...

in the 3000 metres, and she contributed to the Spanish U20 team's bronze medal at the

2017 European Cross Country Championships The 2017 European Cross Country Championships was the 24th edition of the cross country running competition for European athletes. It was hosted in Šamorín Šamorín (; hu, Somorja, german: Sommerein) is a small town in western Slovakia, so ...

Biography

Gallardo is from Palencia, Spain and has studied to become a

medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

in parallel with her athletics career. At the

2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was hosted in the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital. This 42nd edition was held on 26 March 2017. The venue was Kampala Airport, commonly known as Kololo airstrip, or officially, the Kololo Ceremoni ...

in the U20 women's race, Gallardo finished 71st. She won her first international medal later at the

U20 race, placing 19th and contributing to the Spanish team's bronze medal finish. In her first global track final, Gallardo finished 7th at the

in the 3000 metres. Her time of 9:10.07 was the second-fastest ever ran by a Spanish U20 athlete. In December at the

2018 European Cross Country Championships The 2018 European Cross Country Championships was the 25th edition of the cross country running competition for European athletes. It was hosted in Tilburg, Netherlands.Spanish Athletics Championships The Spanish Athletics Championships ( es, Campeonato de España de atletismo) is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA), which serves as the Spanish national championship for the spo ...

, Gallardo finished 8th in 17:04.38, and was not selected for the Spanish 2021 Olympic team. Gallardo's next international championship was at the

2021 European Athletics U23 Championships The 2021 European Athletics U23 Championships are the 13th edition of the biennial athletics competition between European athletes under the age of twenty-three. It was planned to be held in Bergen, Norway from 8 to 11 July., but this venue was c ...

, where she ran the 5000 m and placed 11th. At the

2022 European Athletics Championships The 2022 European Athletics Championships were the 25th edition of the European Athletics Championships and were held in Munich, Germany, from 15 to 21 August 2022. They were part of the European Championships, a multi-sport tournament which brin ...

, Gallardo finished 16th in the 5000 m. She ran with an infection while taking antibiotics, and she injured both of her achilles tendons at the competition. The injury caused her to miss the 2023 indoor season, and Gallardo ran just one race outdoors. Gallardo is coached by Santiago de la Parte, 1984 Olympian for Spain in the marathon.

Statistics

Personal bests

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gallardo, Carla Living people 1999 births Spanish female long-distance runners Spanish female cross country runners 21st-century Spanish women physicians 21st-century Spanish physicians Sportspeople from Palencia